Haven

The Aftermath #2

by Adam Roberts

Young Forktongue Davy has visions; epilepsy, his Ma calls it. He's barely able to help around the family farm. But something about the lad is attracting attention: the menacing stranger who might be the angel of death himself; the women-only community at Wycombe; Daniel, sent by the mysterious Guz. They all want Davy for their own reasons. But what use can he be to anyone? He has visions of flight, but how can flight ever be possible in this shattered world? A simple farmboy, caught up in events beyond his power to control-but his visions may be the key to the future.

Genres: Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.

He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.

Reviews

[Viking Jam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Publishing Date: August 2018

Publisher: Solaris

ISBN: 9781781085660

Genre: Post Apoc

Rating: 4.8/5

Publisher’s Description: Rural English Post-Apocalyptic survival for a new generation. Young Forktongue Davy has visions; epilepsy, his Ma calls it. He’s barely able to help around the family farm. But something about the lad is attracting attention: the menacing stranger who might be the angel of death himself; the women-only community at Wycombe; Daniel, sent by the mysterious Guz. They all want Davy for their own reasons.

Review: A really well done novel that captures your imagination and pulls you in relentlessly with each new character. There is so much unfinished business with the story line that this begs a subsequent installment. Like wtf happens to Amber and will Davy find her? What happened to Hat and Daniel? Are their stories to remain stunted without resolution?

Get this novel before someone smacks you for passing it up.

Read all reviews, here.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, Haven is a setback in The Aftermath series. A great world to play in and some very interesting characters, but the plot was lacking and the writing slogged along at times. My hope is that the third book will right the ship because the setting is so cleverly devised.

Full review can be found here: http://paulspicks.blog/2018/07/12/hav...

All reviews can be found at my blog: https://paulspicks.blog

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dave Hutchinson's 'Shelter' was a very effective and enjoyable start to the shared-world Aftermath series; a splendid story of a fragile peace between feudal communities broken apart by teenaged stupidity, greed and mistrust. 'Haven', Adam Roberts's follow-up, is equally enjoyable, but takes things in a different direction.

A self-contained story, though the world is richer for having read Hutchinson's first book, 'Haven' details the unwanted adventures of Davy Forktongue, an epileptic boy who ought to have been, at most, a sidelines observer of the political machinations of the various powers in the Aftermath world. Instead, he becomes a prize being fought over by all of them, for varying reasons, and has to try to escape and save himself.

The book ends with a resolution of sorts for Davy; but with the distinct knowledge of larger forces on the move. I am very much looking forward to Hutchinson's projected book 3.

[Runalong · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent SF adventure take which I enjoyed the politics plotting seen from a child’s perspective but the characters all felt a little too Golden Age. Not up to the heights of Shelter

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second volume in a series that has yet to take shape. At least, publicly. The idea is that a team of authors will wrote a series of connected novels set in a dystopian world a century after a major asteroid strike disrupts civilisation on earth. The first volume was a cracker. This volume is more of a turkey, to maintain the Christmas theme.

The book is divided into three parts. I found the first part to be more engaging. We were intorduced to Forktongue Davy, the main character, and a subsidiary character called Hat the Boat (he had a boat and wore a hat). Hat made the first part of the book. Sadly, he didn't appear in the second and third parts of the book. This was a real shame because he gave the story a certain depth and character that was lacking later in the book.

The second part of the book is back story. I didn't find that at all interesting and I couldn't quite see why it was there. To my mind, it didn't really serve any purpose, other than to pad out the prose. It establishes a matriarchal community that has significance in the third part of the book, but we leave both Davy and Hat behind. I was left wondering where they had got to. Davy makes a reappearance in part three, whilst Hat doesn't.

Part three is concerned with an on-going conflict between the women of Wycombe and their immediate neighbours in the Midlands. Apparently, the women occupy one or more military bases and wish to access the military technology stored there. However, they don't have the knowledge to do this. Davy's mother does and his abduction is used to force her to unlock the technological secrets in the base. Of course, Davy escapes captivity and makes it home. Just at the end, we are left wondering if the ladies of Wycombe have detonated a tactical nuclear device.

I found the story unconvincing. The author of the first volume had left a splendid story to be continued, but this author rather squandered that opportunity. For example, Davy is an uneducated and illiterate 12 year old. However, his vocbulary is remarkably mature and erudite for someone in that position. That is too large a contradiction for a reader to overlook. I also doubt very much that Davy's mother just happened to have the access codes for much military technology after their being lost for 100 years. That just didn't ring true.

As a story, the first part worked really well. The narrative flowed and the characters developed. The second part, to me, is superfluous. The third part seemd hurried and underdeveloped. I don't know if the author was racing against a deadline, but it certainly felt like it.

Where does that leave me? If there is a third volume, and there is a degree of continuity, then this book will serve as a filler between the two. If there isn't to be a third volume, then I would be content to read the first and discount the second.

[David Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm grateful to the publishers for an advance copy of Haven via NetGalley.

Set in a shared post-apocalyptic world created by Dave Hutchinson and by Roberts, Haven is the followup to Hutchinson's Shelter (my review). It features a boy called Davy Forktongue - Shelter featured an Adam, so possibly there are author games going on here...

Davy (the character) is very much the crux of Haven. Decades after the Sisters - annihilating asteroids - impacted the Earth and destroyed civilisation, Davy lives with his mother and sisters farming on Shillingford Hill, above the swollen Thames south of Oxford. In a rather nasty, dog-eat-dog world Davy is a threat to nobody, minding his own business and especially the farm's five cows. but suddenly, it seems everyone is after him - the militaristic authorities from Guz, the former naval base on the South coast which featured in Shelter; the footsoldiers of Father John, from the North, of whom we heard less; and the mysterious, women-only society based at High Wycombe, of which we heard almost nothing.

What do they all want? Can it be related to Davy's epilepsy? Will he survive to find out? As Davy is fought over by the factions, Haven escalates into a fast-paced thriller full of action and conflict. Some of this can be pretty grim - as in Hutchinson's Shelter, it's hard to find anyone here to like (beyond Davy himself). The Sisters seemingly destroyed not only civilisation, but civilisation - the complex of values and empathy that prevents us all murdering each other. If you found Shelter - which featured an outbreak of such murders - bleak I think you'll feel the same way about Haven. Indeed, the parochial and random warfare that featured in Shelter is surpassed by a more ordered and deadly conflict in Haven (and I wish I could say that this conflict achieves something but I fear that it really doesn't).

Nevertheless there is a lot to like in Haven. Roberts tells a tight, well constructed story bringing together two quite different strands - the adventures of Davy, basically trying to get home (there and back again, perhaps...?) and a parallel series of trials listed on the rather stoic boatman, Hat, of whom I would like to have heard more. Nothing in either thread stray, nothing is lost, the most minor points proving relevant before the end.

Roberts' writing is excellent throughout, in particular his descriptions of the deep winter - puddles which "were saucers and half-moons of pure silver locked hard into the ground", "sharp blades of frost stiffened grass that broke under his feet like twigs", "Another wilderness of sedge, yellow as cream, brittle and sharp-edged as upended icicles". He can dip into a kind of Thick Of It mode (" 'Hark,' said Abigail, putting a hand to her ear, 'what is that I hear, ululating from afar? Is it the call for swear language? I do believe it fucking is! None other than the fucking shit-shouting call for sweary language!' ") He can evoke things almost poetically, beyond the literal meaning of the words ("Someone had sheathed a blade in his shoulder and by Christ it hurt. A paralallip rhythm. A paralallip. Rhythm of paralallip.") It's hard to convey by grabbing a few quotes just how much fun this book is to read for the language, the words themselves.

Of course, in a book by Roberts you also expect puns and allusions and Haven doesn't disappoint. There's a rather intense degree of wordplay ("Because he's the new messiah? The new mess-his-pants-hire? Why?"). At times it rather takes over the characters - for example this exchange between Daniel and Davy. (Read the book to find out who Daniel is).

" 'And if they don't apprehend you on the way - which, incidentally, they will if you just go stumbling down the rive gauche of the river the way you have been - why then they'll pick up up neatly in Goring town itself.'

'Reeve goes?' Davy queried."

Or

" 'Boats are still our forte.'

'That is a lot of boats,' agreed Davy.

Daniel gave him another hard stare."

There is a sense of quick wittedness, of verbal mastery, here to Davy which Daniel seems to recognise. Davy seems to deploy some sophisticated quotes for a thirteen year old who can't read or write and has been brought up in what one might assume is an intellectually, as well as materially, impoverished culture

" 'It is a strange fate," said Davy, "that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing.' Daniel looked at him oddly for a moment..."

Even when not quoting or playing with words, Davy can also show a maturer understanding of things than you might expect. ("I understand the emotional dynamic of my own family than a stranger." "Waste was the worst thing. The unfairness of it. The wealth of the world poured away into the dirt.")

What I think is going on here is that for most of the book, Davy acts as a kind of chorus, the representative of the author (or the reader) in this grim world. That works rather well, not least because, for much of the story, Davy is a rather passive character, done to and not doing, but mainly observing and commenting. He needs a good level of insight and language to make the experience bearable for us.

Similarly, Roberts freely employs (both in the speech of his characters and in the narration) metaphors and turns of phrase that only make sense to us but are unlikely to mean anything to the fourth, fifth or sixth post Sisters generation. One of these ("Senses working overtime") is highlighted at the start of the book - nobody understands the phrase and there are various theories about it - but most are not. So we have "You'll have to join the end of the queue" and 'Close enough... for government work", a "Morse-code under clack" to someone's speech, and so forth.

While this might seem incongruous, it really isn't. Roberts is not trying to develop post-apocalyptic language, something like Russell Hoban in Ridley Walker. he's not trying to represent how these people might really speak. Rather he's using language - even in the mouths of the protagonists - that works for us, the readers. I was reminded of Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings (perhaps one ought to assume a translation, as though Haven were derived from a kind of Red Book of the Southmarch. And indeed there is a lot of Tolkien here - we do also have "Speak friend and enter", a Gollum like follower, a reference to the Moon as a fruit taken from a silver tree, and much more besides.) By using language this was, the impact of the Sisters on society becomes more apparent, not less. Via the disconnect between a language that assumes the existence of modern technology, modern luxuries and modern conveniences and the strange, wild and deeply dangerous world it is used to describe, we see how far things have really fallen.

A specific example of this might be Hat's (the boatman's) love of smoking, something shared by the customers at an inn and described by Robertson particularly sensuous terms. Roberts makes clear that at this point in history real tobacco is an expensive and hard to come by commodity - I wonder if in reality it would simply not exist at all, but at any rate it is so hard to come by that I suspect most people would be unaware of it and unlikely to enjoy Hat's second hand smoke in the way described. So, no, perhaps not realistic - but as a way to convey how far that world is from ours, this is simply genius. (Unless of course it's another Tolkien thing.)

This is just one of the respects in which Roberts' on the nose observation makes this an absorbing read. Another is the character - I won't name then because spoilers - who achieves incredible things despite being "old" - whatever that means in this world - "People simply stop noticing you. You become a background figure, a three-legged still or an old jug..." And there is the society of the High Wycombe women, marking one path a culture might take alongside others that become intensely patriarchal, very quickly.

So, what do we have? At one level this is a grim, even heartbreaking story of a society gone savage. But it's leavened, or lifted, by that sense of author-in-the-story, of shrewd commentary, by the sense of an authorial wink, that this may be a slightly different story to the one we think we're reading. In other words it's a clever book - which I mean as undiluted praise. And, as I have said, despite the darkness, it is also often a fun book. I would strongly recommend reading (with a bit of a content waring that if you found the darkness of Shelter a bit too much, this does go to similar places).

[Ralph Blackburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haven, Book Two of The Aftermath by Adam Roberts- This is part of a series of apocalyptic books with various authors in a shared universe. The first book, Shelter, was by David Hutchinson. The event each book shares is the falling of three asteroids, called the Three Sisters, and the devastated Earth they leave behind. Slowly, and with much difficulty, people are coming together, gradually building a new civilization. But much has been lost. A young man, Davy, has confusing, feverish visions which some people think are glimpses of things long-lost, and they will do anything to posses him.
I chose this book mainly because of my appreciation for Adam Roberts writings, having enjoyed Jack Glass and Twenty Trillion Leagues Under The Sea. He has the unique ability to stretch the imagination past conventional borders. However this story, for me, was only passable. I stopped reading apocalypse stories long ago as the glut of them kept getting larger and the quality lower. They definitely have a place in the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre, and have been for many years but like the overworked zombie epics, they’re getting stale.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven is the second Tale of the Aftermath series. It's a different type of book to the first- the story focuses on really one main character, his interactions whilst on the run, to the backdrop of a country decimated by comet strikes 100 years earlier (whereas the first book Shelter had many characters, was unfocused and turned into a shoot 'em up - that for me was average overall).

The other big difference is the writing - Roberts is a very clever, accomplished writer, a wordsmith - and it shows in this book. Plenty of funny banter between Davy and Daniel, a travelling companion, and when Davy is badly injured, the descriptive narrative of his pain and recovery was so effective (and harrowing) to read. Not a huge amount happens in Haven, but it was enjoyable to read.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

An interesting compliment to Dave Hutchinson's Shelter (You did notice the main characters name in each, didn't you?). Roberts tells a smaller more-convoluted story, with fewer, more fleshed-out characters. It incorporates the main events of Shelter as background, but is a stand-alone tale.

The story is centered around a teenage boy that finds himself being chased by several powerful groups that have somehow got the idea that he contains the secret to retrieving pre-apocalypse military aircraft. He's a funny kid and suffers from epilepsy, and it's an Adam Roberts book, so who knows.

[Ben Brackett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike david hutchinson who wrote the first book, the author here didn't seem to get that the world was interesting enough without going super far in-depth in stories in it that really didn't drive the action and could have been completely cut out of the book without changing the plot at all. Most of the first quarter to third of the book was wasted following a character that literally had no impact or reason to be in the book at all and was never mentioned again after.

[Peter Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roberts' Haven is a neat package. It succeeds in the same way its companion volume Shelter does: both are elevated above what could have been a depressing series of miserable happenings by the wit and playfulness of the writing. Really enjoying this shared-world experiment from Rebellion (and I hope the character of Hat makes a reappearance too.)

[Verity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read quite a few book by Adam Roberts and I've always enjoyed them and enjoyed this book too. I've found this book easy to get into and I would recommend it's.
I received this book from net gallery in exchange for a honest review.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

[Steve Gillway · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me, in tone, of Hesse's "The Glass Bead Game" just in the way the story swirls around the main character, yet they seem to have no control over what goes on.

[Crystal Mayfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe this genre just isn't for me. I couldn't get into it, I just was bored throughout the entire story.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Joanne Aguilar-Millan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follow on book from Shelter

[Sgtdawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A memorable book with a memorable title.

[MRS CA THOMSON · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the aftermath series. It can be read as a standalone though.
We learn more about life in a post apocalyptic landscape. There is also mention of the mysterious Father John.

[Ron Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are pretty good, though they distinctly feel like a side-project for both Roberts and Hutchinson. It's pretty clear there will be more in the series (alternating between Hutchinson and Roberts). I'll likely read those too, though to be frank I would prefer both authors put their energies into their own novels, which for both tend to be at the high end of the sf genre.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second volume in the Aftermath series is self contained, although I'd recommend reading Dave Hutchison's first volume to help with the background.
I mentioned the influence of Richard Cowper in my review of the first one, specifically the Corlay books, and that echo is even stronger in this volume with its tale of a young boy who is believed to possess some mystical significance. There is a remarkable similarity of tone between the two volumes, and they complement each other well. One annoyance is that, unless I'm missing something, one plot strand seems to disappear. It may be something that's picked up in future books, but it seemed a little abrupt here.

I'm a sucker for English catastrophes (I blame it on being frightened by a John Wyndham book in my pram), so I am easy pickings for these books, but I like them anyway. Here's to the next volume.

[Nick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd in Shelter series

[Sue Blanchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thankyou to NetGalley, Rebellion Publishing, Solaris, and the author, Adam Roberts, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Haven in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I am so glad I read this book. I found it a really good read.. I thought the storyline was well written and the characters intriguing. Can't wait for the next offering in the series.
Well worth a read. 3.5 stars.